How do we imbibe the 4th Industrial age of digital information in the health and biosecurity sectors on the Continent of Africa?
Content:
1. Revelations from the Human Genome Project
2. The central Dogma. The code of Life
3. Anomalies in the Central Dogma
4. Is it more than just genes?
5. Genomic age and its implications for Africa and Nigeria
6. Genome editing, gene drives and biosecurity threats in the digital age.
It took a consortium of advanced institutions 6 years to painstakingly crack the human genome code otherwise known as the Human Genome Project. Since then a whole new era of health care diagnosis, prognostication and management has emerged and accelerating. This is sometimes referred to as precision medicine or individualized care. The premise is that no two people are genetically the same and when you combine this with lifestyle and environmental variability new level of complexity emerge that influence the natural history of disease and outcomes.
The Central Dogma of life is that the diversity of our inherited genes from mother and father are the central determinants of our makeup, being responsible for the coding of proteins which produce the uniqueness of our individualities. However, the human genome project revealed some interesting findings that still perplex scientists till today which has intensified the debate between creationists and proponents of evolution. Furthermore, cell biologists are beginning to question the dogma or this simplistic view of the interface between our familial codes or what we call the genotype and our constitution or what refer to as our phenotype.
We are beginning to understand that there are adaptive and evolutionary traits that we can pass down to the next generations through mechanisms that do not necessarily alter the genetic code. This phenomenon is referred to as epigenetics.
As we are moving into the fourth industrial revolution, genomics is playing a central role in how we prevent, detect and execute strategic public health responses to disease burdens. The outcome of modern large population research is referred to as “Big Data”. Where will Africa be placed in this digital revolution and how do we prepare to either enter the 4th Industrial revolution as equal partners or be taken captive in a modern-day digital imperialism.
To make matters worse we are poised to see a new level of global biosecurity concerns with the advent of gene editing and gene drive technology.
What does all this mean for Africa and how can we navigate the future?
Meet the Speakers
Professor Akin Abayomi (MBBS, FRCP, FCPath, MPhil)
Professor Abayomi specializes in Internal Medicine, Haematology, and Environmental Health. He schooled at Kings College, Loyola College, and the International School University of Ibadan. He later studied at the Royal Medical College of Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital in the University of London, where he attained his graduate degree in Medicine. Following fellowships from both Royal College of Medicine in the U.K. and the College of Medicine of South Africa, Professor Abayomi has worked in several countries in both Internal Medicine and Haemato-oncology. Professor Abayomi is Emeritus at the University of Stellenbosch in Cape Town, Professor and Research Consultant at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, and Principal Investigator of the Global Emerging Pathogens Treatment Consortium (GET).
Dr. Abiodun Eke-Aluko (MBBS, DAAP, FWACP)
Dr. Aluko is co-founder and current Chair of the Board of Directors of The Premier Specialists’ Medical Centre (Premier). She is a leading paediatrician who graduated from the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, where she was classmate and roommate of our dearly departed Dr. Funmi Alakija. Dr. Aluko graduated from the College of Medicine with distinctions and proceeded to the United States of America, where she completed a fellowship in Pediatrics, graduating at the top of her class. She returned to Nigeria in 1988 and has contributed significantly to health care delivery in Lagos through the Women’s Medical Centre and EKO Hospital Ikeja, until co-founding Premier in 1992. She specializes in premature low-birth-weight infants (neonatology) and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Dr. Olajide Idris (MD, MPH)
Dr. Idris is Lagos State Commissioner for Health and has served through the tenures of three governors. He is responsible for health care planning, policy formulation, implementation as well as supervising health service delivery in the State.
Dr. Idris is a graduate of the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, obtained his Master of Public Health degree from Yale University, and was a post-doctoral research fellow at Columbia University, New York. Dr. Idris led the Lagos State response team in containing the spread of the Ebola Virus outbreak in Lagos in 2014, by mobilizing resources, and coordinating responses with the Federal Government of Nigeria and other international partners. He is currently mid-wifing the implementation of the Lagos State Health Insurance Scheme and the State’s Biosecurity Agenda.
He is a member of the American Public Health Association, Nigerian Medical Association and a Board member, University of Ibadan Research Foundation, as well as a member of the Advisory Board of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research.
Dr. Toyin Alakija (Moderator)
Dr. Toyin Alakija is a medical doctor at Mt. Sinai hospital in Manhattan, New York. She is currently completing a family medicine residency with a focus on integrative medicine, a more holistic approach to healthcare. She is also the second daughter of Dr. Funmi Alakija, whose work ethic and compassion for others inspired and continues to influence her practice.
Dr. Toyin Alakija studied at Boston College and earned her medical degree from Tufts University, as well as a Masters in Business Administration. She understands that food is the most underrated medicine and that with the right balance of vegetables, exercise, and mindfulness, we can overcome the vast number of chronic diseases we face today.
When not writing about health and nutrition on Instagram, @dr_kija can be found painting, dancing and perfecting the art of ‘Netflix and chill.
